Valheim
When you start a new Valheim server for the first time, you might notice that your world data doesn't seem to be saving, if the server restarts or a player disconnects too early, you can end up back at a blank, freshly-generated world. This happens because your world's data isn't fully written to disk until the first autosave cycle completes, which takes 20 minutes.
If your server is restarted before those first 20 minutes are up, that data never gets created, so the server generates a brand new, empty world every time it restarts. Luckily, you can fix this easily by manually forcing the server to save.
.db file. The cause of this issue and the fix (forcing a save) are the same either way, only what you're checking for in Step 3 looks different depending on your world's format.
Step 1: Add Yourself as an Admin
To use the manual save command, you first need to give yourself admin privileges on the server.
- Log into your MintServers panel and click Stop to shut down the server.
- Navigate to your Files tab.
- Click through your file manager to locate the
adminlist.txtfile. This one sits at your top-level Valheim config folder either way, it isn't affected by the world-format change below. - Click on
adminlist.txtto open the text editor. - Add your platform ID to a new line in the file. If you are an Xbox player, it will look something like
Xbox_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. Steam players will use theirSteam64 ID. You can find this ID by checking your server's Console logs right after you attempt to connect. - Click Save Content.
- Return to the Console tab and click Start to boot the server back up so your admin permissions take effect.
📁 .config
📁 unity3d
📁 IronGate
📁 Valheim
📁 worlds_local (or just 'worlds')
Step 2: Force a World Save
Now that you are recognized as an admin, you can force the server to write your world data immediately. This step is identical no matter which world format you're running.
- Launch Valheim and connect to your server.
- Once you have fully loaded into the world, open the in-game chat by pressing the Enter key.
- Type
/saveinto the chat box and press Enter again. - Wait a few moments for the game to process the save command.
Step 3: Verify the Files
To make sure the fix worked, let's check your server files one last time. What you're looking for depends on your world's format:
📁 Format A: Valheim 1.0 (a folder)
Go back to your Files tab and open your world's folder inside worlds_local. You should now see a _main.1.ok file alongside the other _main.1.* files, that marker only gets written once a save has fully completed. If it's there, your world is safely saved.
📄 Format B: Legacy (two loose files)
Navigate to your worlds_local folder. You should now see a Dedicated.db file (or your specific custom world name .db file) sitting right next to your .fwl file.
🛠️ Troubleshooting World Resets
Your world data is now properly saved! You can safely restart your server in the future without losing progress or having the world reset to a blank slate. If you need help finding your platform ID or getting the save command to work, no worries! Just open a support ticket and our team will gladly jump in and instruct you on how to get it sorted out.